Chairman: Debbie Theodore
Co-Chairman: Alexe Theodore

Passed by the Board on 12/15/15

Retroactive to June 1, 2015
Description: The CSPCA Top 25 Invitational competition is held annually at the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America, Inc National Specialty. This event is intended to provide a unique experience for breeders, exhibitors, spectators and judges by offering an exceptional opportunity to evaluate those Chinese Shar-Pei, which by virtue of breed competition during the previous year, have been deemed to be the Best 25 dogs of our breed. Using a ‘scale of points’ each dog is evaluated according to how closely it conforms to the AKC approved breed standard. This judging approach is both positive and quantifiable. This procedure is not utilized at any other conformation competition.   This elite event is conducted during a “Black Tie Preferred” dinner, celebrating the “Best of the Best” the breed has to offer. 

Committee Composition: This committee serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The committee will insure that the Invitational is conducted in accordance with the rules set forth by the Board of Directors. Changes to the rules may be recommended by the Committee but must be approved by the Board of Directors.

The Chairperson will decide who will be on the committee. This committee consists of three distinct positions, which may or may not necessitate three individuals: Chairman, responsible for all aspects of the Invitational; Event Registrar, responsible for all paperwork and record keeping of the Invitational; Auditor, responsible for coordinating assistants and final compilation of judging sheets; and general Committee Members, who act as Stewards and perform other supporting roles, as needed. The Treasurer used for the Invitational will be the CSPCA Club Treasurer.

Competition Eligibility:
Dogs eligible for this competition are the Best of our Breed by virtue of the number of dogs and bitches that they have defeated by winning Best of Breed at all licensed shows and/or Best of Opposite Sex at all CSPCA approved specialties.

Each Best of Breed winner will be awarded one point for each dog and bitch defeated at said shows. Each Best of Opposite Sex winner at CSPCA approved specialties will be awarded one point for each dog of their own sex defeated. A spayed/neutered dog who has otherwise qualified for the Invitational would be invited to compete. The final tabulation is compiled using American Kennel Club official reports. This report is the final authority on eligibility.  The Top 25 Invitational year qualifying time frame will run from January 1 through December 31.  Those qualifying will be invited to participate in the Invitational the following year.

  • Any dog who has won the previous competition year’s Top 25 event is ineligible to compete in the current year’s competition, but is eligible to show as an “Exhibition Only” entry and appear in the catalog. In so doing, the next dog statistically eligible would receive an invitation to compete. This procedure will ensure that no dog will win the competition multiple years in a row and only applies to the previous year’s winner.
  • Any dog owned or co-owned by any member of the Top 25 Invitational Committee is ineligible to compete.  They may be shown as “Exhibition Only” and appear in the catalog.
  • Any dog owned, co-owned, bred or co-bred by any member of the Top 25 Invitational Committee or the Judges is ineligible to compete. They may be shown as “Exhibition Only” and appear in the catalog.
  • If a judge has bred to a bitch or dog in competition within a 3 year period, the judge must  recuse themselves from judging the entire competition.
  • Any dog exhibited by the professional handler judge within a 2 year period on more than 3 occasions, is ineligible to compete. Said dog or bitch may be shown as “Exhibition  Only” and appear in the catalog.

Group and Best in Show wins are not counted. All statistics come from the American Kennel Club’s official reports, and will include all wins from January 1 through December 31. At least one owner of a Top 25 Invitational dog must be a CSPCA member in good standing on the last day of the qualifying period in order to qualify and receive an invitation and must remain a member in good standing at the time of the event in order to participate in the competition.

Judges’ Selection Criteria: The Judges are selected by the Invitational Committee and are kept a secret until the event. At no time will a person who is a member of the Committee participate in judges’ selection if they are deemed ineligible by criteria listed in competition eligibility. The secrecy of the judging panel is significantly different from the judging typically seen, in that the owners of the Top 25 dogs enter this show based on the merits of their dogs — not on who is judging the competition. The judging panel will consist of 3 judges who meet the following criteria:
1.   A Chinese Shar-Pei AKC Licensed breeder judge – with a minimum of 10 or more years documented experience in the breed and having bred 4 litters resulting in a minimum of 5 Champions of record (CSPCA or AKC) – preferably a judge with some recent history within the breed.
2.  A Chinese Shar-Pei breeder judge (not necessarily AKC licensed) –with a minimum of 10 or more years documented experience in the breed and having bred 4 litters resulting in a minimum of 5 Champions of record (CSPCA or AKC) – preferably a judge with some recent history within the breed.
3.  A professional handler, either active or retired, who meets the minimum requirements for membership in a professional handlers’ association (though not necessarily a member) with documented experience exhibiting Chinese Shar-Pei.  This professional handler will have a minimum of ten (10) years documented experience in their profession.
 4.  A multi-breed AKC licensed judge, licensed to judge Chinese Shar-Pei and at least four other breeds in any Group. 

Basic Invitational Guide: Procedures for the Top 25 Invitational may be changed at the Invitational Committee’s discretion. The Chairperson of the Committee shall designate a specific time and place for group photos. All participating dogs must be present with their handlers. Instructions on judging procedures, ring patterns and score sheet explanation will be done at the pre-event meeting. At this time, dogs will be assigned their number and order for competition. Once the order is assigned, it will not be changed. This meeting is MANDATORY – due to the nature and staging of this event, any dog not represented at the pre-event meeting will not be eligible for competition.

 All judges, stewards and committee members shall be instructed on how to use and tabulate the score sheets prior to the event.

All awards must be claimed during the National Specialty. The Committee is not responsible for packaging or mailing awards not claimed, unless other arrangements have been made prior to the conclusion of the event.  Shipping is the sole responsibility of the winner of the award.